From Donated Cookies to Full on Meal Donations
Thomas Hill, the high energy hero of Reno behind Cookies for Kindness, also known as “Cowboy Tom” recently orchestrated the donation of 700 Thanksgiving dinners. These dinners included everything needed to make a full dinner for four people. Hill also included his own cooking tips he has cultivated over the years from his previous time as a cook in the Air Force.
As a disabled veteran ,severely injured in a car accident, Hill says he understands the importance of helping others.
In a recent interview with Our Town Reno, Hill explained that in 2018 he started selling cookies he made to supplement his income, and that Cookies for Kindness resulted from surplus he wasn’t selling, as he was now handing out free cookies to the homeless and seniors at his low-income housing complex.
“It was so many seniors,'' Hill said from his workspace in the cafeteria of the Bridge Church on Foster Dr.. “[Some were] on oxygen at the time and they couldn’t cook anymore, so I would put out cookies in the lobby.”
His signature recipe is a banana-doodle cookie. His cookies became so popular he soon began to sell out and had over 25 events booked for 2020. His business now included catering, cooking for large scale events and fundraisers. He had plans to replace his beat-up truck, which he spends a lot of time on maintaining, with a van that had his logo on it. He had plans to grow his business to facilitate more donating. Then came the pandemic and with it, Hill lost business and his supplemental income.
Hill is adept at pouring his energy into social media and networking, as well, leading to more meals for organizations.
Helping Even More During the Pandemic
As the pandemic put a halt on paid opportunities, Hill decided to put his skills to helping those in need. Over the course of the year, he estimates he has donated over 8,000 meals along with putting together 150 backpacks with school supplies for local kids in need.
Hill networks with other non-profits knowing that when they combine forces, the impact is far greater than the sum of the parts. He used this network to facilitate his hugely successful Thanksgiving donation. Hill was able to gather turkeys, stuffing, celery, gravy, and other items—all from local grocery stores and sources. He is most proud of organizing the donation of a 53 foot refrigerated trailer from ITS Logistics to help store the food. In addition to these meal kits, Hill also cooked and served 160 hot meals for the homeless on Thanksgiving day.
This year, Hill has also been cooking for the Eddy house, a local safe house and organization that helps at-risk youth develop independence, averaging almost a dozen meals a month, including healthy breakfasts. He also began helping seniors on Indian reservations. “I was able to put together 150 care packages that included things like sanitizer, masks, and whatnot. As well as big bags of food for them. It worked out really well,” he said.
Looking forward, Hill has plans to spend his Christmas cooking for Casa de Vida, which provides support for young pregnant women. He wants to craft a special dinner for them complete with decorations and delicious food. Hill thrives in these settings when he can pour his creativity into cooking and help people in need. He says he enjoys seeing the smiles his food brings them. “I believe if we all just take a deep breath, be kind to one another, we can pull anybody that’s down up and help everybody out in the community.”
Reporting by Richard Bednarski for Our Town Reno